Seinfeld Vista ad is out, and it's bizarre

Fri Sep 5, 2008 11:05AM EDT

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The first ad from Microsoft's $300 million campaign to resuscitate Windows Vista via pitchman Jerry Seinfeld (who's pocketing $10 million for his work) debuted last night, and now you can see it on Yahoo! Video and YouTube.

Go watch it, come back here, and start scratching your head.

The ad is so far not winning many fans, with most perplexed over the 90-second spot's exploration of churros, footwear, and showering habits, as Seinfeld and Gates (playing themselves) try on shoes in a shopping mall. Vista is never mentioned explicitly in the ad, and Microsoft only comes up in the last few seconds of the ad.

Naysayers call it a baffling, stupid disaster. Kinder critics say that it cleverly plays on Seinfeld's reputation for observational humor (Seinfeld was famously a show "about nothing"). I'll just say, for now, it's weird: Not as bad as I'd been led to believe but hopefully just a quiet opening volley for a campaign that will actually make me laugh out loud down the road.

In one sense, though, the ad is already having some effect: People are actually talking about Windows Vista.

OK armchair critics, what do you think about the spot?

Comments on Seinfeld Vista ad is out, and it's bizarre

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  • 26 Posted by maddymud on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:02PM EDT Report Abuse

    not that funny. not $10 million dollars funny, for sure. did not know it was pushing Vista. I knew it was pushing Bill Gates' cool quotient cause he was hanging out with Jerry, but now that we know the geek paid the class cut-up $10 mill to hang out at the mall, hmmm ... I know modern advertising tries to tell us you don't need to be so spot-on for your product, but my gut doubts that as merely frustrated ad men more intent on being funny and making movies and trying to forget their job is to sell products.

  • 27 Posted by rayvr@att.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:31PM EDT Report Abuse

    One thing's for sure, Gates can't act AT ALL. The AD had no point. If it was supposed to be funny, no one was laughing. Gates has had his day, but he seems rather thick. Acting can't be that hard!

  • 28 Posted by btedrogers on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:14PM EDT Report Abuse

    CREEPY!!! made no sense, perfect for microsoft, just a personal opinion,

  • 29 Posted by collarncuffsboy on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:28PM EDT Report Abuse

    Ok after watching that twice, I didnt get the impresion that it was for Vista specifically, just something for Microsoft in general. The Windows logo didnt even have the bubble around it that Vista has.

  • 30 Posted by joepafan4life on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:38PM EDT Report Abuse

    it obvious that the ad was meant to be obscure and about nothing related to Vista...Possitive or not people are actually discussing the 1st of many in this $300+ million a campaign...for that much money involved, were you expecting something straight forward? especially with the added element of Seinfeld? it may take months, and months of left field commercials before any substance is exposed...

  • 31 Posted by scubydu1968 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:10PM EDT Report Abuse

    I think it was pretty good! A commercial about nothing by a guy who did a show about nothing, and a product that is accomplishing nothing. Kudos to Jerry for squeezing the bucks out of the opportunity. I give him "big top points"! LMAO!!! Can't wait to see more of nothing! I liked it! Especially the part where Bill adjusts his boxers. Wish he would have gone for the "dig"! Ha!

  • 32 Posted by scubydu1968 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:10PM EDT Report Abuse

    Doesn't Jerry seem more like an apple man to anyone else out there?

  • 33 Posted by geoffrey_mi on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:07PM EDT Report Abuse

    all these shots that mean nothing, pants, pants pants, what does it all mean.

  • 34 Posted by paige_76 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    Since when do commercials have anything to do with the product anymore. Seen any jeans commercials lately?!

  • 35 Posted by nofl_wade on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:40PM EDT Report Abuse

    Vista...who knew. I would like to know what they were eating.

  • 36 Posted by brandon.fraser on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:12PM EDT Report Abuse

    There goes a minute and a half of my life that I can never get back. Oh well, it beat----- ting myself in the shins with a monkey wrench. Or does it? ...............hhhhmmmmmmm.................................ouch, nope, monkey wrench was a lot better. LMFAO !!!!!

  • 38 Posted by choppensack on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:23PM EDT Report Abuse

    Not so funny. I thought it was a shoe commercial at first!

  • 39 Posted by dtrosen3 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    Given the negative articles I have read, I expected something horendous. However, after seeing it myself, I can say that I found it humorous - in a good way. I think it did its job of making you aware of microsoft. However, the apple adds a very direct. It not only sells apple but does a good job of making microsoft products seem archaic and difficult. I think they have a ways to go to counteract apples advertising.

  • 40 Posted by yougotrob1 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:57PM EDT Report Abuse

    OS and commercials will NEVER be in Apple's league. PERIOD

  • 41 Posted by dianenobody57 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:42PM EDT Report Abuse

    Dumb, dumb! Can't believe he got big bucks for acting dumb.

  • 43 Posted by phickey3 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:09PM EDT Report Abuse

    Great Seinfeld humor. I loved it.

  • 44 Posted by kattnip333 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:47PM EDT Report Abuse

    Funny???? NOOOOOOO!!!! It can't touch Apples's ads. I have a pc and when it goes, so will I .... straight to Apple. I can't believe they are spending $300 million to put these ads on. And to pay Jerry $10 million is crazy. He should be spending this $310 million on the people who purchase his so-so products. Like reducing the price on the operating system that doesn't work, or closing all the "holes" that hackers can come thru. It seems the worse you make your products, the more people are willing to pay for them. That wouldn't work in other businesses. How about a car whose wheels keep falling off, or a washer that shreds your clothes? Only in America!!!! As far as the ad goes, like his other products, it sucks.....

  • 45 Posted by tcb_pc on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:57PM EDT Report Abuse

    Did I find the vista ad un-funny and perplexing? well ya - about as unfunny and perplexing as Vista is. I'm still running windows 2000 and XP. If I HAVE to switch to vista, I will probably go Mac (and I'm NOT a mac fan - I LIKE backwards compatibility). But I dont really want to learn Linux. I tried google's new CHROME browser and I LOVE it. Google gets that a browser is supposed to be transparent and get out of the way - kind of like an O/S is supposed to. I REALLY hope that google is secretly working on an O/S. That would make my day.

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